Michigan State Police investigating Augusta Township officials

The investigation was brought to the State Police by several unidentified residents after AnnArbor.com published an article about a deal several current and former township officials made with a local developer, Dale LaClair, during the construction of the Lincoln Pines subdivision.

In the deal, former supervisor and current Trustee Kathy Jackson, former city attorney and current Washtenaw County Commissioner Ken Schwartz and LaClair worked out an arrangement where LaClair didn’t have to pay the township more than $400,000 in water and sewer connection fees. In exchange, LaClair made $30,000 donation to the Augusta Township Fire Department.

Several township trustees said they weren't made aware of the deal, which Jackson laid out in taped recordings and in e-mail exchanges with LaClair.

State Police officials confirmed they are investigating, but declined to comment further and said it would likely be turned over to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office within two weeks. The prosecuting attorney’s decision on whether to pursue the case will likely take weeks to months, according to law enforcement officials.

Open Meetings Act violations are a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum fine of $1,000 for a first time offense.